Abhinav Bindra fan Avani Lekhara charts own success story in shooting

Vinayak Padmadeo

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 30

Indian shooter Avani Lekhara says she has already experienced ups and downs in her brief but accomplished career in para-shooting. The 19-year-old from Jaipur topped the podium in the R-2 women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 category in Tokyo and scripted history, becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics. Her final score was a world record-equalling total of 249.6, also a new Paralympic Games record.

Lekhara started seventh in the final but raced into the lead in the first elimination series and never looked back. China’s Cuiping Zhang and Ukraine’s Iryna Schetnik finished in silver and bronze medal positions, respectively.

“I cannot tell you how proud I am feeling today. Really proud,” Lekhara told The Tribune on Monday.

“I want to dedicate this medal to our countrymen and to all those who have helped me or wished me well before the Games,” the law student added.

A life threatening car crash in 2012 left Lekhara paralysed from the waist down. For Lekhara, life has moved on from those dark days as she is enjoying this rollercoaster ride.

“Life has been a rollercoaster for me since I started shooting in 2015. I have already suffered a lot of ups and downs in my career,” Lekhara said.

“Shooting has strengthened my self-confidence. Whether disabled or able-bodied, everyone has to give his or her 100 per cent. There is no shortcut to success,” she added.

A Bindra, Virat fan

Lekhara was first introduced to archery as an option but she chose shooting. Her father, Pravin Lekhara, took her to the Jagatpura shooting range, which is next to their apartment complex in Jaipur. “My father took me to the range many years ago. I started shooting as a hobby, slowly got hooked and here I am,” Lekhara said.

Lekhara said that Abhinav Bindra, the Beijing Olympics gold medallist in 10m air rifle, inspired her and confesses that she is a big fan of Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli.

“Abhinav Bindra is an inspiration and I read his autobiography as well,” she said. “But I am also a big fan of Virat Kohli. I love his character and his dedication to his game,” she added.

Past joys

While the world has woken up to Lekhara’s talent after her gold medal feat, she was already a known face in the shooting circles. In March, Lekhara had won her second World Cup silver. Incidentally, she had finished 0.3 points behind Schetnik then.

“We knew she had the potential because she was winning podium places but today’s medal dwarfs everything,” Lekhara’s mother Shweta Jewaria, who travels with her, said.